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Tackling undeclared work database

Undeclared work can be defined as work which is in itself legal but is not declared to the authorities for tax, social security and/or labour law purposes. Across the 28 Member States of the European Union, a great deal of effort is being invested into developing and testing policy measures that aim to tackle undeclared work.

In the district of Nazaret in València, an employment office along with a range of other services were created several years ago for women working in domestic services. The initiative was supported by a number of institutions, mainly public and religious, and was managed by an association. The office and services have since evolved and are now offered in a more organised way, and to other groups and occupations. The initiative promotes the creation of employment and of formal work contracts.

In 2004, the Federal Ministry of Finance and the social partners in the construction sector joined forces to fight undeclared work on construction sites. This first agreement was followed by similar agreements in other sectors. The two latest social partner agreements cover painters (2010) and the industrial textile services sector (2012), aimed at curbing the incidence of undeclared work through the exchange of information, regular visits to establishments checking for cases undeclared work and monitoring the adherence to minimum wages.

By reducing the time, procedural steps and financial costs required to start a business, the government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia aims to make entry to the formal sector easier. A ‘one-stop shop’ system was initiated and implemented, including an online application system for registering companies, an electronic system for the classification of companies under court procedures for insolvency, and an electronic system for the registration of collateral and leasing.

The social partners of construction in a tripartite meeting in 2012 decided to introduce an ID card for every worker on a construction site. This will make control by the Labour inspection easier in a sector that is experiencing competition on the basis of low prices that could contribute to the non-respect of Luxembourg legislation.

Since 1 June 2011 it has been possible to deduct expenses to craftsmen and domestic helpers with €2,000 (DKK 15,000) per member of the household over 18 years of age through a pilot project called Home-Job Plan. The project runs until the end of 2013. The expenses that it is possible to deduct include payment for cleaning, indoor/outdoor maintenance of the house, gardening and babysitting. The goal is threefold: to prevent undeclared work in homes, to create jobs in construction and to encourage house owners to install CO2-friendly energy solutions.

This measure aims to strengthen the financial sanctions used against employers who hire undocumented migrant workers by making the employer either pay the worker or, if they have left the country, pay a public body damages. It is also a way of increasing the social rights and improving the finances of migrant workers.

A new regulation covering the working conditions of domestic staff in Spain came into force on 1 January 2012. It affects approximately 700,000 workers, most of whom are women. The new regulation puts household workers on the same level as normal employees in many respects, such as wages and working time. It also offers workers greater social protection by including them in the social security system. The unions have been positive about these measures.

A two-year project, ‘Attendance of the Unemployed’, is being used as a control mechanism by the Employment Office of the Czech Republic for selected job applicants who are obliged to attend the Czech POINT contact office at branches of Czech Post three times a week. The project is a joint endeavour of the Employment Office, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and Czech Post, and is financed by the European Social Fund and the Czech state budget.

In order to tackle undeclared work more effectively, in 2011 the State Labour Inspectorate set up standing groups to control illegal work in Lithuania’s five largest cities to undertake control and prevention of undeclared work. The groups consist of VDI inspectors (lawyers) who were provided with appropriate resources. Where necessary, assistance can be sought from representatives of other institutions. The results show that this initiative has contributed to better detection of undeclared work compared to previous years.